JP2023532187A - Systems, apparatus, and methods for unlocking aerosol generators - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol generator (102) comprising a controller comprising one or more processors. the controller (128) providing the unlockable feature, transmitting an unlock request to the server to unlock the unlockable feature, receiving an unlock permission from the server in response to the transmitted unlock request; It is configured to unlock the unlockable feature in response to receiving the unlock permission. [Selection drawing] Fig. 3

Description

The present invention relates to systems, devices, and methods for use in aerosol generator unlocking.

Unauthorized use of an aerosol generator by a minor user (e.g., a user who is not legally authorized to use an aerosol generator) may, in particular, damage the aerosol generator between users or third parties such as inappropriate retailers. can be difficult to restrict or regulate through the resale of For example, if a first user purchases an aerosol generating device from a regular retail store, the first user may resell the purchased aerosol generating device to a second user, who may be a minor.

Additionally, an unauthorized user may use an authorized user's aerosol generating device without the authorized user's knowledge. For example, if an authorized user leaves the aerosol generating device unattended, an unauthorized user may take advantage of the abandoned aerosol generating device without the authorized user's knowledge. Further, for example, if an authorized user loses his aerosol generating device, an unauthorized user may locate and utilize the lost aerosol generating device without the authorized user's knowledge.

Aerosol generators and their associated systems may provide limited locking capabilities. Published PCT patent application WO2019/126805A1 describes a vaporizer and a vaporizer that can unlock the vaporizer to activate its operation based on a determined age of the user meeting a threshold (e.g., legal age). Describe the device system. The vaporizer may determine age or receive age determination from the server and/or application. Additionally, pairing, locking, and/or unlocking a vaporizer may be accessible through an app logged into the user account linked to that vaporizer. Still further, the shared secret key generated by the app is sent to the vaporizer on lock request and can be used to lock/unlock the vaporizer, the rights may be configured to prohibit the device owner from linking a vaporizer owned by another account owner to another account without explicitly releasing the vaporizer from the original account; Thus, communicating that the vaporizer is paired with another account user makes theft difficult. Still further, the vaporizers may be configured such that the vaporizers that link users can only link a certain number of vaporizers per period of time to prevent abuse by minors.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,763,478 discloses voice profile modules, password or passcode modules, physical keys, fingerprint scanners, iris identification scanners, third party device authentication, or other biometric data for locking or unlocking. An electronic vapor device is described that includes a locking mechanism that can be controlled by at least one of: Additionally, the central server receives both usage information and location information and can access consolidated account and tracking information to determine whether both the vapor device and the electronic communication device are associated with the same user. .

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0181945 A1 states that in some circumstances (e.g., to prevent illicit aspiration by children, teenagers, or other individuals), the ability of an electronic vaping device to deliver vapor is altered ( For example, electronic vaping devices are described that can be disabled, reduced, enabled, or increased. If the mobile communication device executes an e-cigarette-related software application, obtains authentication information from the user, and determines that the authentication information is valid and the user is authorized to vape, the e-cigarette Activates vapor delivery ability. The mobile communication device may send authentication information (or a subset thereof) to a remote server (e.g., web server) for authentication, which would allow a third party to affect the user's vaping ability. can be particularly useful in cases where

Ensuring that only authorized users use the features of an aerosol generating device can be difficult, especially if authorized users resell the aerosol generating device. Additionally, various locking and unlocking solutions can be cumbersome for users and merchants to utilize. For example, honest resale of aerosol generating devices between users can be difficult if the unlocking and locking functions are overly burdensome and complicated. Additionally, various locking and unlocking solutions can be difficult for manufacturers to provide. Furthermore, some solutions may not provide secure unlock and lock functionality that can still be bypassed by sophisticated rogue users (e.g. hackers) (e.g. improperly encrypted unlock and lock function), so they can still access unauthorized aerosol generators.

A simple, safe and easy way to limit the use of aerosol generating devices by minor users is desirable. Further, it is desirable to restrict third parties from reselling unlocked aerosol generating devices to unauthorized users. Still further, a secure, unforgeable, unique, single-use process for locking or unlocking the aerosol generator using a cryptographic secret known only to the manufacturer's backend server should be provided. Still further, it is desirable to prevent someone from unilaterally sending an unlock command to the aerosol generating device in order to maliciously unlock the aerosol generating device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides exemplary aerosol generating devices, user interface devices, and servers for use in unlocking unlockable features of an aerosol generating device when associated with a single user account. can be explained. Additionally, the present invention further provides exemplary apparatus, systems, and methods for use in unlocking unlockable features of an aerosol generating device using server-based cryptographic authentication. can be described. An exemplary user interface device may be used to initiate an unlocking process between the aerosol generating device and the server, and data transmitted between the aerosol generating device and the server may be transmitted via the user interface device. can be For example, a user may connect the exemplary aerosol generating device to the exemplary server, eg, via a retail store or mobile application, and the unlocking process may begin once the user is verified.

Additionally, the present invention also provides an exemplary aerosol generator, user interface device, and servers. Additionally, the present invention further provides exemplary apparatus, systems, and methods for use in locking previously unlocked features of an aerosol generating device using server-based cryptographic authentication. can be described as An exemplary user interface device can be used to initiate a locking process between the aerosol generating device and the server, and data sent between the aerosol generating device and the server is sent via the user interface device. obtain. For example, a user may connect an exemplary aerosol generating device to an exemplary server, e.g., via a retail store or mobile application, and when the user is disassociated with the aerosol generating device, the locking process can be started.

According to one aspect of the invention, an exemplary aerosol generating device is provided comprising a controller comprising one or more processors. The controller provides an unlockable feature, sends an unlock request to the server to unlock the unlockable feature, receives an unlock permission from the server in response to the sent unlock request, and receives an unlock permission. is configured to unlock the unlockable feature in response to receiving the

According to another aspect of the invention, a display device, between the aerosol generator and the server, including a graphical user interface that allows a user to interact with it to unlock unlockable features of the aerosol generator. An exemplary user interface device is provided that includes a communication interface for transmitting data and a controller comprising one or more processors and operably coupled to the display device and the communication interface. The controller receives an unlock request from the aerosol generator to unlock the unlockable feature, transmits the unlock request to the server, and receives unlock permission from the server in response to the transmitted unlock request. , configured to transmit an unlock permission to the aerosol generating device to unlock the unlockable feature.

According to another aspect of the invention, an aerosol generation comprising a communication interface for transmitting data to or from the aerosol generation device, and a controller comprising one or more processors and operably coupled to the communication interface. An exemplary server is provided for unlocking unlockable features of a device. The controller receives an unlock request from the aerosol generator to unlock the unlockable feature and, in response to the transmitted unlock request, transmits an unlock permission to the aerosol generator to unlock the unlockable feature. configured to unlock. Additionally, prior to initiating the unlocking or locking process, the exemplary server may request information from the aerosol generator to initiate the lock/unlock process, and if the server request is valid, the aerosol generator may send a lock or unlock request to the server.

In addition, it should be appreciated that the same or similar process may be used to unlock already unlocked features of the aerosol generator, e.g., when the user is disassociated or unregistered with the aerosol generator. It can be locked (eg, relocked).

Exemplary aerosol generators, user interface devices, and servers advantageously restrict use of the aerosol generator by minor users in a simple, safe, and easy manner, and allow third parties to access unlocked aerosols. They can interoperate, or "cooperate", to limit resale of generators to unauthorized users. In particular, sending an unlock permission to the aerosol generator, for example from the server and/or the user interface device, provides a simple, safe, and easy unlocking of the aerosol generator for authorized users. and may help limit third parties from reselling unlocked aerosol generating devices to unauthorized users. Further, the present invention allows only the manufacturer of the aerosol generating device or electronic smoking device to verify specific features or It can be described as addressing the issue of ensuring that features can be unlocked.

As described herein, an aerosol generating device may include or have one or more unlockable features. For example, an aerosol generating device may have a single unlockable feature. In this example, preferably the unlockable feature of the aerosol-generating device is the ability to heat the aerosol-generating article using a heating element to generate an aerosol therefrom. In other words, the unlockable feature is the ability of the user to inhale or smoke aerosol from the aerosol generating device.

In other examples, the unlockable feature of the aerosol generating device can be any of a variety of different functions provided by the aerosol generating device. For example, unlockable features can be associated with the aerosol generator, such as smoke density, color of light emitting elements on it, audio output options, heater temperature, display options, smoke limit, and tactile feedback (e.g., vibration output) options. can be the ability to configure one or more of the options provided.

To that end, exemplary aerosol generating devices, user interface devices, and servers may enable unlocking one or more unlockable features of the aerosol generating device. According to one aspect of the present invention, an exemplary aerosol-generating device includes a cavity for receiving an aerosol-generating article, a heating element for heating the aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol, and a heating element operable to: Includes linked power supply.

Of course, an exemplary aerosol generating device may be shipped from the manufacturer in a locked state such that one or more unlockable features are locked prior to initial purchase or sale. The example methods, processes, and systems described herein may enable such one or more unlockable features to be unlocked only after following a rigorous verification procedure. Additionally, such exemplary aerosol generating devices may be relocked prior to or at the time of resale.

The aerosol generating device comprises a communication interface for transmitting data to and from the user interface device, and a controller comprising one or more processors. The communication interface includes at least telemetry circuitry and an antenna for two-way communication with other devices such as, for example, user interface devices, servers, network devices, personal computers and the like. More specifically, data and commands may be sent and received during uplink or downlink telemetry between the user interface device and other devices and/or networks using the communication interface. In at least one embodiment, the communication interface is one or more of, for example, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, any protocol in the ultrahigh frequency (UHF) band, any protocol in the centimeter wave (SHF) band, low frequency, etc. A wireless interface that uses a wireless (radio frequency) data transmission protocol.

The aerosol generator controller operates with associated data storage or memory to access one or more types of data that may be used to execute the processing program or routine and the exemplary method. may include one or more processors (eg, microprocessors). For example, the processing programs or routines stored in the data storage may include statistics, matrix calculations, compression algorithms (e.g., data compression algorithms), standardization algorithms, comparison algorithms, or one or more of the exemplary algorithms described herein. Programs or routines for performing any other operations used to implement the methods and processes may be included. Further, for example, a processing program or routine stored in data storage wirelessly transmits data and commands between the user interface device and the aerosol generating device, and transmits data and commands between the user interface device and the server. It may include the step and function of wirelessly transmitting. The data storage or memory is used for locking and unlocking one or more unlockable features of the aerosol generating device and transmitting unlock requests and lock permissions between the aerosol generating device, the user interface device, and the server, as well as herein. may be further configured to store any other data and/or method-related data necessary to implement the processes and methods described in .

In one or more embodiments, the aerosol generator and its controller include processing power (e.g., microcontrollers, programmable logic devices, etc.), data storage (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), input It can be described as being implemented using one or more computer programs running on one or more programmable processors, including devices and output devices. Program code and/or logic described herein may be applied to input data to perform the functions described herein and generate desired output information. The output information may be applied as input to one or more other devices and/or processes as described herein or as applied in any known manner.

Computer program products used to implement the processes described herein may be written in any programmable language, e.g., high-level procedural and/or object-oriented programming languages suitable for communicating with computer systems. can be provided using Such program products may, for example, constitute a computer when read by any suitable device, such as a storage medium readable by a general purpose or special purpose program, suitable for performing the procedures described herein. and can be stored on the controller device for operation. In other words, in at least one embodiment, the user interface device may be implemented using a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured with a computer program, the storage medium configured as described herein. It causes the computer to operate in a specific and predetermined manner in order to perform the functions described in the book.

The exact configuration of the controller of the aerosol generating device is not limiting, and essentially any controller capable of providing suitable computational and control capabilities to carry out the exemplary methods described herein. device can be used. In view of the above, it should be readily apparent that the functionality as described in one or more embodiments in accordance with the invention may be implemented in any manner that would be known to those of ordinary skill in the art. As such, a computer language, controller, or any other software/hardware used to implement the processes described herein may be used to describe the systems, processes, or programs described herein (e.g., such function provided by the process or program). The methods and processes described in this disclosure, including those attributed to the present system, or various components may be implemented, at least in part, in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. For example, various aspects of the technology may include one or more microprocessors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs, CPLDs, microcontrollers, or any other equivalent integrated circuits or discrete logic circuits, and any of these components. It can be implemented in one or more processors, including combinatorial. When implemented in software, the functionality attributed to the systems, apparatus, and methods described in this disclosure may reside in RAM, ROM, NVRAM, EEPROM, FLASH memory, magnetic data storage media, optical data storage media, or the like. may be embodied as instructions on a computer-readable medium such as Instructions may be executed by one or more processors to support one or more aspects of the functionality described in this disclosure.

As described herein, an unlock request is sent from the aerosol generating device to the server. In one embodiment, the unlock request can be sent directly to the server. More specifically, the aerosol generator can be wirelessly coupled to the Internet to communicate with the server, and the user can use a user interface (e.g., graphical user interface, buttons, etc.) on the aerosol generator to An unlock request may be sent to the server over the Internet. In another example, an unlock request may be sent from the aerosol generating device to the user interface device, which in turn may send an unlock request to the server. A user interface device may be wirelessly connected to the Internet to communicate with a server.

In one or more aspects of the invention, the user interface device is a mobile phone. In one or more aspects, the user interface device is a smartwatch. In general, a user interface device may be described as any electronic device, including a display device, that provides a graphical user interface with the ability to interact with it by a user. The user interface device may include a controller and communication interface device similar to that of the aerosol generating devices described herein.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the invention, an exemplary user interface device comprises a display device including a graphical user interface that allows a user to attempt to unlock an unlockable feature. Further, in accordance with one or more aspects of the invention, the controller of the exemplary user interface device displays an unlockable feature graphical area on the graphical user interface, and the user selects the unlockable feature graphical area to Allows you to activate the aerosol generator and send an unlock request.

A display device is operably coupled to the controller for outputting data via the display device and can be depicted and used as a graphical user interface with which a user can interact. The graphical user interface and display device may comprise a touch screen. A graphical user interface is configured to allow a user to view and/or manipulate data on a display device to allow the user to interact with the user interface device and the like. may also be described as user-interactable. The graphical user interface may be configured to perform any of the functions described herein with respect to unlocking or locking one or more unlockable features of the aerosol generating device.

The unlock request, which may be sent from one or both of the aerosol generating device and the user interface device, contains data or information to provide the server's ability to unlock the aerosol generating device. Similarly, a lock request that may be sent from one or both of the aerosol generating device and the user interface device (e.g., when the user is disassociated or unregistered from the aerosol generating device) is Containing data or information to provide the ability to lock. Lock requests may utilize the same or similar processes as described herein for unlock requests. In one or more aspects of the invention, the unlock request includes unique device identification information identifying the aerosol generating device and timed nonce information corresponding to the unlockable feature. In other words, the unlock request may contain both aerosol generator specific information as well as a timed random value (nonce). Unique device identification information can be information or data that identifies the aerosol generating device and is unique to each particular aerosol generating device. In other words, each aerosol generating device may contain unique device identification information that is unique only to itself and not to other aerosol generating devices. Therefore, the unique device identification information is different for each aerosol generating device. A unique device identification may be an alphanumeric string, a hexadecimal string, or the like. In one or more aspects of the invention, the unique device identification information is a serial number. Unique device identification information is used, among other things, to ensure that a received message or data transmission is intended for the target aerosol generating device.

Timed nonce information corresponding to an unlockable feature can be any data or information that can be used only once in a cryptographic communication to a server to stop or limit future use of unlock requests. In other words, the use of timed nonce information prevents future unlocking of the aerosol generating device by playing an unlock request or message. In addition, a time-limited nonce information is any number that can be used only once in a cryptographic communication, and is a random or pseudo-random number issued by an authentication protocol to prevent reuse of old communication in a "replay attack". It can be explained that it is often a large number. Time-limited nonce information may be valid for the lifetime. If the unlock grant or message received from the server is valid, and if the timed nonce information has not expired (e.g., the validity period has not expired), the aerosol generator changes the state of the unlockable feature. (eg, unlock unlockable features).

For example, the validity period can be 5 minutes. In this example, if the aerosol generator does not receive the unlock permission after 5 minutes, it is determined that the time-limited nonce information sent in the unlock request is invalid, and thus the time-limited nonce information or its derivatives are Any unlock permissions that may have been included are invalidated. Conversely, if the unlock permission is received within the 5 minute validity period, the unlock permission will be valid and will allow the aerosol generating device to unlock the unlockable feature. In other examples, the validity period can be about 7 minutes or more, about 10 minutes or more, about 60 seconds or less, about 30 seconds or less, about 20 seconds or less, or 5 seconds or less.

Accordingly, in one or more aspects of the invention, the controller of the exemplary aerosol generating device or exemplary user interface device does not receive unlock permission within a validity period after the unlock request is sent to the server. If so, it is further configured to finish unlocking the unlockable feature. Further, in one or more aspects of the invention, the shelf life is 5 minutes or less.

After the server receives an unlock request from one or both of the aerosol generator and the user interface device, the server may, depending on whether the server decides to unlock the aerosol generator and An unlock permission may be sent to one or both of the user interface devices. The unlock permission may be transmitted or communicated to one or both of the aerosol generating device and the user interface device in a secure and private manner. In one or more aspects of the invention, unlock permissions are encrypted. For example, the unlock permission may be encrypted with a private key known only to the server. Additionally, the unlock permission may include, among other things, unique device identification information and timed nonce information. The unique device identification information may be used to verify that the correct aerosol generating device is receiving the unlock permission or message, using time-limited nonce information as described herein. may determine whether an unlock grant has been received during the validity period. In other words, an exemplary server may compose or generate lock/unlock messages based on information from the aerosol generator.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the invention, the exemplary server controller is further configured to limit the number of unlock grants sent to the aerosol generating device. In one or more aspects of the invention, the number of unlock permissions for each unique aerosol generating device is 1 or less, 3 or less, or 10 or less.

In one or more aspects of the invention, in response to receiving the unlock permission, the exemplary aerosol generating device controller decrypts the unlock permission. The unlock permission can be decrypted by the aerosol generator using a public key located on all aerosol generators. Accordingly, in one or more aspects of the invention, the unlock permission is decryptable using a public key stored on the aerosol generating device. By using asymmetric cryptography, only the manufacturer's server can lock/unlock the unlockable features of the aerosol generator, eliminating the dependence and knowledge of a unique key for each aerosol generator.

Further, in accordance with one or more aspects of the invention, the exemplary aerosol generating device controller determines whether the decrypted unlock permission includes unique device identification information and timed nonce information; Unlocking the unlockable feature in response to determining that the decrypted unlock permission includes unique device identification information and nonce information. Thus, the present invention advantageously uses cryptographic secrets known only to the manufacturer's servers (e.g., backend servers) that can limit or stop hacking and malicious unlocking of aerosol generating devices by third parties. to provide a secure, unforgeable, unique and single-use process for locking or unlocking the functionality of the aerosol generator.

Also, the aerosol-generating device can be temporarily locked by the user, for example, if the user is known not to possess the aerosol-generating device for a period of time. In this way, the user can protect the aerosol generating device from being used by others when the user is away from the aerosol generating device. In one or more aspects of the invention, the controller of the exemplary aerosol generating device or exemplary user interface device is further configured to temporarily relock the unlockable feature for a temporary locking period. Additionally, in one or more aspects of the invention, the temporary lock period is 24 hours or less. Still further, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention, the controller of the exemplary aerosol generating device or exemplary user interface device allows the user to select the amount of time for the temporary lock period to initiate a temporary relock. It is further configured to be able to start. For example, a graphical user interface may be provided by the user interface device such that the user may interact with the graphical user interface to select the amount of time for the temporary lock period and to initiate the temporary lock period. In other examples, an interface (eg, buttons, display, etc.) on the aerosol generator itself may be used to configure and initiate the temporary lock period.

The exemplary server uses only one user to ensure that only one user is associated with each aerosol generator, and to restrict already unlocked aerosol generators from being used by unauthorized users. One or more of various processes may be implemented to limit the number of aerosol generating devices that can be unlocked by a user. To that end, the server may include or utilize a database containing user account information and aerosol generator information. According to one aspect of the invention, an exemplary method (eg, for use by a server) is provided that includes maintaining a database of user accounts and aerosol generating devices associated with user accounts. Each aerosol generator can only be associated with a single user account. The exemplary method further includes receiving an unlock request from the aerosol generating device of the present invention to unlock an unlockable feature of the aerosol generating device of the present invention. The unlock request includes unique user identification information identifying the current user account associated with the aerosol generating device of the present invention. An exemplary method includes determining if an aerosol generating device of the present invention is already associated with any user account in a database; Sending an unlock permission to the aerosol generating device of the present invention to unlock the unlockable feature in response to the determination that the unlockable feature is not enabled. The exemplary method further includes, in response to determining that the inventive aerosol generating device is not already associated with any user account in the database, for associating the inventive user account with the inventive aerosol generating device. , further comprising updating the database.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exemplary computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having program code portions stored thereon, the program code portions being stored on a computer or computer. When running on a network device (eg, a server), it maintains a database of user accounts and aerosol generating devices associated with user accounts. Each aerosol generator can only be associated with a single user account. The program code portion is further configured to receive an unlock request from the aerosol generating device of the present invention to unlock the unlockable feature of the aerosol generating device of the present invention. The unlock request includes unique user identification information identifying the current user account associated with the aerosol generating device of the present invention. The program code portion determines if the aerosol generating device of the present invention is already associated with any user account in the database, and if the aerosol generating device of the present invention is already associated with any user account in the database. It is further configured to transmit an unlock permission to the aerosol generating device of the present invention to unlock the unlockable feature in response to the determination that it is not. The program code portion, in response to determining that the aerosol generating device of the present invention is not already associated with any user account in the database, for associating the user account of the present invention with the aerosol generating device of the present invention: It is further configured to update the database.

According to another aspect of the invention, an aerosol generation comprising a communication interface for transmitting data to or from the aerosol generation device, and a controller comprising one or more processors and operably coupled to the communication interface. An exemplary system (eg, server) is provided for unlocking unlockable features of a device. The controller is configured to maintain a database of user accounts and aerosol generating devices associated with the user accounts. Each aerosol generator can only be associated with a single user account. The controller is further configured to receive an unlock request from the aerosol generating device of the invention to unlock the unlockable feature. The unlock request includes unique user identification information identifying the current user account associated with the aerosol generating device of the present invention. The controller determines whether the aerosol generating device of the present invention is already associated with any user account in the database, and the aerosol generating device of the present invention is not already associated with any user account in the database. In response to the determination, it is further configured to transmit an unlock permission to the aerosol generating device of the invention to unlock the unlockable feature. The controller, in response to determining that the aerosol generating device of the present invention is not already associated with any user account in the database, causes the database to associate the user account of the present invention with the aerosol generating device of the present invention. Further configured to update.

The described database may include a set of user data such as, for example, user accounts associated with each verified user. In one or more aspects of the invention, each user account in the database is associated with a person who is verified to be of legal age to use an aerosol generating device. The database described may further include a set of aerosol generator data, such as, for example, unique device identification information (eg, serial number) that identifies each aerosol generator. User accounts and unique device identification information may be correlated in a database when a user unlocks one or more unlockable features of the aerosol generating device, for example, upon purchase of the aerosol generating device. Conversely, the user account and unique device identification information are stored in the database when the user relocks one or more unlockable features of the aerosol generating device, e.g., upon sale or other disposal of the aerosol generating device. can be disassociated from each other with In other words, a unique device identification (e.g., serial number) can only be linked to one user account, and the aerosol generating device can only be unlocked when the unique device identification is linked to the user account. (eg, one or more unlockable features are unlocked). Additionally, if the aerosol generator is not linked with an associated user account, the aerosol generator is automatically locked (eg, one or more unlockable features are locked).

Through use of the described database, the exemplary methods, program code, and systems limit or prevent one user from unlocking a device already associated with another user, thereby preventing locked aerosols from unlocking. It may restrict the generator from being unlocked by another user. Further, through use of the described databases, the exemplary methods, program code, and systems limit the number of aerosol generating devices that any one user may unlock, thereby allowing authorized purchasers to Addressed the issue of being able to purchase multiple devices, unlock such multiple devices using their authorized accounts, and resell the unlocked devices to underage users, for example. obtain. In other words, unscrupulous sellers can be prevented from purchasing hundreds of aerosol generators, linking them to their accounts, and then selling the aerosol generators to minors. Further, if the seller attempts to do so, minors cannot use the user interface device application to configure such improperly acquired aerosol-generating devices (e.g., minors may (due to the inability to obtain a user account for use with the software application on the user interface device). Still further, if an aerosol generator is confiscated from a minor, it would be possible to detect which account was used to unlock the aerosol generator sold to that minor. .

In one or more aspects of the invention, each user account in the database can only be associated with an allowable number of aerosol generating devices, and an exemplary method is to ensure that the current user account has an allowable number of aerosol generating devices. The program code portion is further configured to instruct, or the controller is further configured, to stop sending the unlock permission and updating the database if already associated with. Additionally, in one or more aspects of the invention, the acceptable number of aerosol generating devices is ten or less. In other examples, the acceptable number of aerosol generating devices is 25 or less, 15 or less, 5 or less, or 2 or less. In other words, only a limited number of devices can be linked to your account.

As described herein, for example, when the aerosol generating device is sold or otherwise disposed of, the user can relock the aerosol generating device. Thus, in accordance with one or more aspects of the invention, an exemplary method comprises: a program code portion instructing to receive a lock request from an aerosol generating device of the invention to relock an unlockable feature. Further comprising or further comprising the controller being further configured. A relock request may be substantially similar to an unlock request, except that the opposite result is desired. Accordingly, the relock request includes unique user identification information identifying the current user account associated with the current aerosol generating device. The database is then updated to disassociate the current user account from the current aerosol generator in response to receiving the lock request, and to relock the unlockable feature in response to receiving the lock request. , may send a lock grant to the current aerosol generator.

If an unauthorized user attempts to interface with or configure an aerosol-generating device with which the user is not associated (and thereby unauthorized) (e.g., using a user-interface device), one or more of the aerosol-generating devices A lock permission may be sent to the aerosol generating device to lock the unlockable feature. In this way, unauthorized users can be blocked from using the aerosol generator they were trying to configure. For example, in accordance with one or more aspects of the invention, an exemplary method may reconfigure an unlockable feature in response to a user interface device not associated with the current user account attempting to configure the current aerosol generating device. Further comprising the program code portion instructing to send a lock grant to the current aerosol generating device to lock and further comprising the controller being configured. Additionally, in some embodiments, a warning message is sent to the user interface device or aerosol generating device in response to an unauthorized access attempt prior to automatic locking of the aerosol generating device and is not associated with the database; It can indicate to the user that they are not authorized to configure or interface with the aerosol generator. For example, in accordance with one or more aspects of the invention, an exemplary method provides a user interface device with a The program code portion is configured to instruct, or the controller is further configured, to perform sending the warning message.

The term "aerosol-generating article" or "aerosol-generating substrate" refers to a substrate capable of releasing volatile compounds upon heating that can form an aerosol. The aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating substrate of a smoking article according to the present disclosure may be visible or invisible and may be a vapor (e.g., of a substance that is in a gaseous state, typically liquid or solid at room temperature). particulates) as well as gas and condensed vapor droplets. An example of a heated-type aerosol-generating article is the IQOS Heatsticks for use with IQOS (also known as MARLBORO HEATSTICKS manufactured by Phillip Morris International), a heated non-combustion aerosol generator (also manufactured by Phillip Morris International). .

The term "aerosol-generating device" refers to a device configured to use or utilize an aerosol-generating article that releases volatile compounds to form an aerosol that can be inhaled by a user.

The terms "controller" and "processor" are used, for example, to refer to microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), equivalent discrete or integrated logic circuits, or Contain digital bits (e.g., binary or ternary, etc. coded) that may be readable and/or writable and capable of providing suitable computational and control capabilities, such as any combination thereof Refers to any device or apparatus capable of providing suitable data storage capabilities, including any medium (eg, volatile or nonvolatile memory, CD-ROM, magnetic recording media such as disks or tapes, etc.).

The term "communications interface" refers to the ability to provide suitable data communication capabilities between the aerosol generating device and user interface devices (such as various telemetry circuits and antennas), e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, using one or more wired or wireless (e.g., radio frequency) data transmission protocols such as any protocol in the ultrahigh frequency (UHF) band, any protocol in the centimeter wave (SHF) band, low frequency, or a combination thereof; Refers to any device or instrument that may be

The term "database" refers to a collection, set, or repository of queryable and related data, such as, for example, a relational database.

The invention is defined in the claims. However, the following provides a non-exhaustive list of non-limiting examples. Any one or more of the features of these examples may be combined with any one or more of the features of other examples, embodiments, or aspects described herein.

Example 1:
1. An aerosol generating device comprising a controller comprising one or more processors, the controller comprising:
provide unlockable features,
send an unlock request to the server to unlock the unlockable feature;
An aerosol generating device configured to receive an unlock permission from a server in response to a transmitted unlock request, and to unlock an unlockable feature in response to receiving the unlock permission.
Example 2:
A user interface device,
a display device comprising a graphical user interface that allows a user to interact with it to unlock unlockable features of the aerosol generating device;
a communications interface for transmitting data between the aerosol generator and the server; and a controller comprising one or more processors and operably coupled to the display and the communications interface, the controller comprising:
receiving an unlock request from the aerosol generator to unlock the unlockable feature, sending the unlock request to the server;
A user interface device configured to receive an unlock permission from the server in response to a transmitted unlock request and to send the unlock permission to the aerosol generating device to unlock the unlockable feature. .
Example 3:
A server for unlocking unlockable features of an aerosol generator, comprising:
a controller comprising a communication interface for transmitting data to and from the aerosol generating device and one or more processors and operably coupled to the communication interface, the controller comprising:
receiving an unlock request from the aerosol generator to unlock the unlockable feature;
A server configured to transmit an unlock permission to the aerosol generator to unlock the unlockable feature in response to the transmitted unlock request.
Example 4:
The aerosol generator
a cavity for receiving an aerosol-generating article;
A heating element for heating an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol therefrom; and a power source operably coupled to the heating element, wherein the unlockable feature heats the aerosol-generating article using the heating element. The aerosol generating device, user interface device, or server of any one of Examples 1-3, comprising a power source that is capable of generating an aerosol therefrom.
Example 5:
unlock request
The aerosol generating device, user interface device of any one of Examples 1-4, comprising unique device identification information that identifies the aerosol generating device and timed nonce information corresponding to the unlockable feature. , or server.
Example 6:
The aerosol generating device, user interface device, or server of any one of examples 1-5, wherein the unlock permission is encrypted.
Example 7:
unlocking the unlockable feature in response to receiving the unlock permission;
decrypting the unlock permission;
determining whether the decrypted unlock grant contains the unique device identification and time-limited nonce information; and determining whether the decrypted unlock grant contains the unique device identification and time-limited nonce information. 7. The aerosol generating device of any one of examples 5-6, comprising unlocking the unlockable feature in response to a determination that the
Example 8:
7. The controller according to any one of examples 1, 2, and 4-7, wherein the controller is further configured to temporarily relock the unlockable feature over a temporary lock period. The described aerosol generating device or user interface device.
Example 9:
The aerosol generating device or user interface device of Example 8, wherein the temporary lock period is 24 hours or less.
Example 10:
The aerosol according to any one of Examples 8 and 9, wherein the controller is further configured for the user to select the amount of time within the temporary lock period and to initiate the temporary relock. A generator or user interface device.
Example 11:
Example 1, Example 2, wherein the controller is further configured to terminate unlocking of the unlockable feature if no unlock permission is received within the validity period after the unlock request is sent to the server , and the aerosol generating device or user interface device of any one of Examples 4-10.
Example 12:
The aerosol generating device or user interface device of Example 11, having a validity period of 5 minutes or less.
Example 13:
The user interface device of any one of examples 2, 4-6, and 8-12, wherein the user interface device comprises a mobile phone.
Example 14:
The embodiment of Examples 2, 4-6, and 8-13, wherein the user interface device comprises a display device with a graphical user interface through which a user can attempt to unlock the unlockable feature. A user interface device according to any one of the preceding claims.
Example 15:
the controller
displaying an unlockable feature graphical area on the graphical user interface;
15. The user interface device of example 14, further configured to allow a user to select the unlockable feature graphical region to activate the aerosol generating device and submit an unlock request.
Example 16:
16. The server of any one of examples 3-15, wherein the controller is further configured to limit the number of unlock grants sent to the aerosol generating device.
Example 17:
17. The server of example 16, wherein the number of unlock permissions is one or less.

Reference is now made to the drawings that depict one or more aspects described in the present disclosure. It should be appreciated, however, that other aspects not shown in the drawings fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure. Like numbers used in the figures refer to like components, steps and the like. It will be understood, however, that the use of certain numbers to refer to certain components in a given figure is not intended to limit components labeled with the same number in other figures. Yo. In addition, the use of different numbers to refer to components in different figures is not intended to indicate that different numbered components cannot be the same or similar to other numbered components. Schematic drawings are not necessarily to scale and are presented for purposes of illustration and not limitation. The drawings illustrate one or more aspects described in the present disclosure. It should be appreciated, however, that other aspects not shown in the drawings fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

Examples will now be further described with reference to the following figures.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 200 for using locking and unlocking of one or more features of an aerosol generating device 102. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary aerosol generating device 102. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram of an exemplary unlocking process 300. As shown in FIG. 4-7 are diagrams of an exemplary graphical user interface 250 for use with the user interface device 201 to lock and unlock the aerosol generating device. Ditto. Ditto. Ditto.

Referring to FIG. 1, a functional scheme of an exemplary system 200 according to the invention is illustrated. System 200 includes user interface device 201 , aerosol generator 100 and server 50 . User-interface device 201, aerosol-generating device 100, and server 50 are physically separate devices, but are operatively linked together for data communication therebetween, as indicated by the bidirectional lines extending therebetween. be done. User interface device 201 is a general purpose computer (in this example a smart phone or tablet computer) and includes controller 202 and associated data storage 203 . Data storage 203 includes, for example, programs and routines for sending and receiving data or messages between aerosol generating device 100 and server 50, and any other data for performing the exemplary methods and processes described herein. includes programs and routines 204, such as the programs or routines of . For example, data or messages related to locking and unlocking one or more unlockable features of aerosol generating device 102 may be transmitted between user interface device 201 , aerosol generating device 102 and server 50 . Data storage 203 stores unique user identification information that identifies the current user account associated with the current aerosol generation device 102, unique device identification information that identifies the aerosol generation device 102, and locks described herein. and various temporary data utilized during the unlocking process.

The user interface device 201 further includes a display device 206 with a graphical user interface with which a user can interact. User interface devices include communication connections to the Internet, such as wireless local area network (eg, Wi-Fi) transceivers. Still referring to FIG. 1 , the user interface device 201 may be used by the server 50 to send/receive data, such as data related to locking and unlocking one or more unlockable features of the aerosol generating device 102 . It may be a mobile device configured to establish a connection to. Data can be transferred and/or received over the Internet via the Wi-Fi transceiver of user interface device 201 .

As noted herein, system 200 may include aerosol generator 102, as described in more detail with reference to FIG. Preferably, the aerosol-generating device 102 is adapted to receive an aerosol-generating article 104, such as a heat stick, and a heater 134 configured to provide a heat source to the aerosol-generating device 104, thereby generating an inhalable aerosol. A cavity 132 is provided. The aerosol generator 102 further includes a controller 128 with one or more processors and associated memory. Controller 128 may include functionality to lock or unlock various unlockable features of aerosol generating device 102 . For example, controller 128 may lock or unlock the ability to use heating element 134 to heat aerosol-generating article 104 and generate aerosol therefrom.

Controller 128 may, for example, communicate with user interface device 201 and/or server 50 to enable unlocking or locking the functionality of one or more unlockable features described herein, e.g. It may further include a communication interface, such as a wireless communication interface. The communication interface of controller 128 may preferably comprise a Bluetooth interface or may include a Wifi interface. The aerosol generator 102 further includes a power supply 126, for example, to power the aerosol generator 102 to, among other things, heat the heater to generate an aerosol and communicate with the user interface device 201 and the server 50. .

A sequence diagram of an exemplary unlocking process 300 is illustrated in FIG. The aerosol generating device 102, shown in the leftmost solid vertical line, may include a locked/unlocked state 150, which at the beginning of this example indicates that the aerosol generating device 102 is locked. . The device detection process 302 detects whether the user interface device 201 detects an aerosol, whether the aerosol generating device is locked or unlocked, or whether the aerosol generating device is paired or associated with the user interface device 201. Continuous execution can be performed between the aerosol generator 102 and the user interface device 201 , indicated by the solid vertical line, so that the generator 102 can be detected and connected. Device detection process 302 may allow user interface device 201 to be paired or associated with aerosol generating device 102 . Further, the device detection process 302 detects the aerosol generating device 102 as a user interface device 201, or more specifically, a software application running on the user interface device 201 that provides the locking and unlocking functionality described herein. can allow you to connect to The device detection process 302 may exchange information such as unique device identification information (eg, serial number) that identifies the aerosol generating device 102 .

The user interface device 201 may query 304 the aerosol generating device 102 to determine the current locked/unlocked state 150 of the aerosol generating device 102 . In one aspect, query 304 may be a read command requesting data from a portion of memory of aerosol generator 102 that indicates current lock/unlock state 150 . Alternatively, the aerosol generator 102 may return a locked/unlocked status 150, an error message, or a busy message 305. In other words, the user interface device 201 or the server 50 may request 304 the current state of the unlockable feature that it wishes to lock or unlock, and the aerosol generating device 102 will, among other things, A response 305 may be made.

Unlocking process 300 may be initiated by aerosol generating device 102 , user interface device 201 , or server 50 . The server 50 is indicated by the solid vertical line on the far right. Regardless of where unlock process 300 was initiated, the unlock request must ultimately be sent to server 50 . In this example, the user interface device 201 initiates unlocking by issuing a read command 306 to the aerosol generator 102 . In response, aerosol generating device 102 may send unlock request 308 A to user interface device 201 . Unlock request 308A may include at least time-limited nonce information and unique device identification information. The time-bound nonce information can be a 16-byte integer. Additionally, unlock request 308A may include a response size. In one or more aspects, if the server 50 or user interface device 201 wishes to change the current locked/unlocked state 150, the serial number of the aerosol generator 102 and a unique value (e.g., nonce value), etc. can be described as requesting the unique information of In response, aerosol generating device 102 transmits such information to user interface device 201 and/or server 50 .

The user interface device 201 may receive the unlock request 308A and modify the unlock request 308A to include, for example, unique user identification information identifying the current user account associated with the current aerosol generating device 102. can. Modified unlock request 308B may be sent to server 50 .

Server 50 may include and maintain a database 54, as shown in FIG. Database 54 may contain a collection of user account information and device information, which may be utilized by the locking and unlocking processes described herein. Although server 50 may be described as including or having database 54, it should be appreciated that database 54 may not be physically located on server 50, but instead may be in another database to which server 50 has access. server. Additionally, server 50 may instead be a plurality of servers or a cluster of servers rather than a single computer server. Additionally, server 50 may simply be a virtual server running on various hardware platforms or cloud services.

Server 50 may receive unlock request 308A and perform one or more processes 52 thereon in accordance with this disclosure. For example, server 50 may determine if aerosol generating device 102 is already associated with another user 52 (eg, by querying database 54). If it is determined that the aerosol generating device 102 is already associated with another user based on the unique device identification information, the server 50 will not issue an unlock permit. Further, for example, server 50 may determine if the current user is already associated with the allowed number of aerosol generating devices 52 (eg, by querying database 54). If it is determined that the current user is already associated with an acceptable number of aerosol generating devices, the server 50 will not issue unlock permissions (eg, stop sending unlock permissions). Still further, server 50 may update the database to associate the current user account with the current aerosol generator 102 if the current aerosol generator is not already associated with any user account in the database.

When server 50 determines that aerosol generating device 102 is to be unlocked, server 50 may generate unlock permission 310 and send unlock permission 310 to user interface device 201 . Additionally, in some embodiments, unlock permission 310 may be sent directly from server 50 to aerosol generating device 102 . Unlock permission 310 may be encrypted using a private key known only to server 50 and may include time-limited nonce information and unique device identification information. In other words, the server 50 constructs a string consisting of the lock/unlock request, the unique information of the aerosol generator, the nonce, and some additional padding (i.e. the unlock permission) and uses the asymmetric private key to Encrypt the string and send the result (ie, the encrypted string) to one or both of the user interface device 201 and the aerosol generator 102 . User interface device 201 may then send unlock permission 312 to aerosol generating device 102 . In this example, user interface device 201 provides unlock permissions 312A, 312B, . . . Send lock unlock permission 312 multiple times, as indicated by the letters following 312n.

If unlock permission 312 is not received within validity period 199, unlock process 300 expires, aerosol generating device 102 is not unlocked, and unlock process 300 must be restarted. In this example, unlock permission 312 is received within validity period 199 , resulting in aerosol generating device 102 being unlocked as indicated by current locked/unlocked state 150 . In other words, the aerosol generating device 102 may start a validity timer by which the unlocking process must be completed, and if the procedure fails or is not completed within the validity period, the current process 300 is disabled. , must be restarted from the beginning.

For example, the aerosol generator 102 can receive an encrypted string (i.e. unlock permission) and decrypt it using the public key of the server 50, which allows all aerosol generation It may be stored on device 102 . The aerosol generator 102 verifies whether the decrypted string respects the predetermined format, contains the original nonce, unique device information, and determines the current lock/unlock state 150 associated with the nonce. A change of state can be requested. If these conditions are met and the validity period has not expired, the aerosol generator 102 changes the current locked/unlocked state 150 .

In addition, the user interface device 201 may continue to draw 290 periodically by querying 304 the aerosol generating device 102 for the state of the aerosol generating device 102 and determining its current locked/unlocked state 150. . In particular, the periodic drawer 290 may include a query 304 from the user interface device 201 in response to returning 305 a lock/unlock status 150, an error message, or a busy message from the aerosol generating device 102. can.

Although the unlocking process 300 is illustrated in FIG. 3, it should be understood that locking or relocking processes may be implemented in a similar manner. For example, user interface device 201 may initiate a lock request that collects the same or similar information, such as unique device identification information, unique user identification information, timed nonce information, etc., to send to server 50 . Server 50 then issues a lock permit to lock aerosol generator 102 .

An exemplary user interface device 201 including a display device 206 showing a graphical user interface 250 is shown in FIGS. 4-7. In FIG. 4, the graphical user interface 250 includes a lock state graphical element 251, which indicates that the connected aerosol generator is in a locked or unlocked state (e.g., if one or more unlockable features of the aerosol generator are locked state or unlocked state). As shown in FIG. 4, lock state graphical element 251 illustrates an unlocked state indicated by a graphical representation of an unlocked padlock. Thus, the connected aerosol-generating device is unlocked and the user can use the aerosol-generating device if the unlockable feature is the ability to heat the aerosol-generating article using a heating element to generate aerosol therefrom. A heating element may be used to heat the aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol therefrom.

Graphical user interface 250 further includes a device status message 252 that indicates whether the aerosol generating device is connected. As shown, the device status message 252 indicates that the aerosol generating device is currently connected to the user interface device 201 so that the user interface device 201 can be used to configure or lock/unlock the aerosol generating device. "Device is already connected" is displayed. Conversely, device status message 252 may read “device not connected” to indicate that an aerosol generating device is not currently connected to user interface device 201 . Graphical user interface 250 further includes an aerosol generator graphical representation 254 depicting associated aerosol generators, eg, to indicate the type of aerosol generator currently connected to user interface device 201 .

The graphical user interface 250 of the user interface device 201 can be used to configure the aerosol generator and lock/unlock the unlockable features of the aerosol generator. To do this, the user may select (eg, touch, click, etc.) a change settings graphical area 256 illustrated as the word "settings" with an arrow pointing right. Additionally, the graphical user interface 250 has a toolbar area 258 that includes a plurality of selectable areas to traverse the graphical user interface 250 (eg, to traverse the aerosol generator software application running on the graphical user interface 250). can include For example, toolbar area 258 may include a device area and a user account area, among others. A device area may allow a user to configure a connected aerosol-generating device, and a user accounts area may allow a user to configure their user account.

A user may wish to temporarily lock their aerosol generating device using the user interface device 201 . To do this, the user may select the lock status graphical element 251 or the text that says "Locked" located near it. Selection of lock state graphical element 251 may cause lock graphical area 260 to be illustrated in graphical user interface 250, as shown in FIG. A user may select the amount of time within or over the temporary lock period using lock graphical area 260 . In this example, a lock duration selection area 262 is displayed containing a scrollable list of time values, showing 10 hours, 15 hours, and 21 hours, with 15 hours now shown in bold in the center. selected for In one aspect, the user may "swipe up" or "swipe down" on the lock duration selection area 262 to display other time values arranged in a sequential fashion. Once the user finds and selects the desired lock period using lock period selection area 262, the user may select initiate lock graphical element 264 to initiate a temporary lock or relock.

In addition, the user may wish to lock the aerosol generator using user interface device 201 prior to resale or transfer of the aerosol generator, which also allows lock status graphical element 251 to be locked. Complete by selecting and using lock graphical area 260 to lock the aerosol generator indefinitely until another user attempts to unlock the aerosol generator using an authorized user account. is also possible. For example, instead of selecting a lock period, the user may use lock period selection area 262 to select an indefinite period until another authorized user unlocks the aerosol generating device.

Upon selection of the initiate lock graphical element 264 to initiate a temporary lock or relock, a temporary lock status message 270 may be displayed in the graphical user interface 250, as shown in FIG. The temporary lock status message 270 may be textual and indicate that the associated aerosol generator is locked. As shown, temporary lock status message 270 reads "device is locked". Additionally, the temporary lock status message 270 may also indicate the amount of time left in the temporary lock period. As shown, the temporary lock status message 270 reads "Unlocked in 15 hours", indicating that the temporary lock status of the aerosol generator will expire in 15 hours.

Additionally, because the associated aerosol generating device is currently locked (e.g., one or more of its unlockable features are temporarily locked), lock status graphical element 251 now displays a locked padlock graphical 4 illustrates the lock state indicated by the representation; Thus, the connected aerosol-generating device is locked, and if the unlockable feature is the ability to heat an aerosol-generating article using a heating element to generate an aerosol therefrom, the user can use the aerosol-generating device to It may not be possible to use a heating element to heat the aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol therefrom.

If the associated aerosol-generating device is locked, the user may desire to unlock the aerosol-generating device (eg, unlock one or more unlockable features thereof). To do this, the user may select the locked state graphical element 251 or the text labeled "Unlocked" located near it. Selection of the lock state graphical element 251 may cause an unlock graphical area 280 to be illustrated in the graphical user interface 250, as shown in FIG. A user may select either an unlock initiation graphical element 282 (eg, a button) or an unlock cancellation graphical element 284 using the unlock graphical area 280 . Selection of initiate unlock graphical element 282 initiates the unlock process described herein. For example, an unlock request may be generated by the aerosol generator and user interface device 201 and sent to the server in an attempt to obtain unlock permission.

For the purposes of this specification and the appended claims, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, quantities, percentages, etc. are modified in all instances by the term "about." should be understood as Also, all ranges are inclusive of the maximum and minimum points disclosed and any intermediate ranges therebetween, whether or not specifically recited herein. There is also Furthermore, all scientific and technical terms used herein have meanings commonly used in the art unless otherwise specified. The definitions provided herein are intended to facilitate understanding of certain terms frequently used herein. As used herein, the singular forms (“a,” “an,” and “the”) encompass embodiments having plural references, but This does not apply if the content clearly stipulates otherwise. As used herein, "or" is generally taken to include "and/or" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term "and/or" means one or all of the listed elements or any combination of two or more of the listed elements. As used herein, "have", "having", "include", "including", "comprise" , "comprising," or the like are used in their open-ended sense and generally mean "including, but not limited to." It should be understood that "consisting essentially of," "consisting of," and the like are subsumed in "comprising," and the like. be. The terms "preferred" and "preferably" refer to embodiments of the invention that may provide certain advantages, under certain circumstances. However, other embodiments may also be preferred, under the same or other circumstances. Moreover, the recitation of one or more preferred embodiments is not intended to imply that other embodiments are not useful nor exclude them from the scope of the present disclosure, including the claims. is not intended to be

Claims (14)

An aerosol generator,
a controller comprising one or more processors, the controller comprising:
provide unlockable features,
sending an unlock request to a server to unlock the unlockable feature, wherein the unlock request is time limited corresponding to unique device identification information identifying the aerosol generating device and the unlockable feature; contains nonce information,
an aerosol configured to receive an unlock permission from the server in response to the transmitted unlock request; and to unlock the unlockable feature in response to receiving the unlock permission. Generator. A user interface device,
a display device comprising a graphical user interface that allows a user to interact with it to unlock unlockable features of the aerosol generating device;
a communication interface for transmitting data between the aerosol generator and a server; and a controller comprising one or more processors and operably coupled to the display device and the communication interface, the controller comprising:
receiving an unlock request from the aerosol generating device to unlock the unlockable feature, the unlock request corresponding to a unique device identification identifying the aerosol generating device and the unlockable feature; contains time-bound nonce information that
sending the unlock request to the server;
receiving an unlock permission from the server in response to the transmitted unlock request; and transmitting the unlock permission to the aerosol generating device to unlock the unlockable feature. user interface device. A server for unlocking unlockable features of an aerosol generator, comprising:
a controller comprising one or more processors and operably coupled to the communication interface, the controller comprising: a communication interface for transmitting data to and from the aerosol generating device;
receiving an unlock request from the aerosol generating device to unlock the unlockable feature, the unlock request corresponding to a unique device identification identifying the aerosol generating device and the unlockable feature; and configured to transmit an unlock permission to the aerosol generating device to unlock the unlockable feature in response to the transmitted unlock request. server. The aerosol generator is
a cavity that receives the aerosol-generating article;
a heating element for heating the aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol therefrom; and a power source operably coupled to the heating element;
4. The aerosol generating device of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the unlockable feature is the ability to heat the aerosol-generating article using the heating element to generate an aerosol therefrom. Interface device, or server. The aerosol generating device, user interface device or server of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the unlocking permission is encrypted. unlocking the unlockable feature in response to receiving the unlock permission;
decrypting the unlock permission;
determining whether the decrypted unlock permission includes the unique device identification information and the time-limited nonce information; and wherein the decrypted unlock permission contains the unique device identification information and 6. The aerosol generating device of claim 5, comprising unlocking the unlockable feature in response to determining to include the timed nonce information. The aerosol generator of any one of claims 1, 2 and 4-6, wherein the controller is further configured to temporarily relock the unlockable feature for a temporary locking period. device or user interface device. 8. The aerosol generating device or user interface device of Claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured for a user to select an amount of time within a temporary lock period to initiate the temporary relock. 4. The controller is further configured to terminate unlocking of the unlockable feature if the unlock permission is not received within a validity period after the unlock request is sent to the server. 9. The aerosol generating device or user interface device of any one of 1, 2 and 4-8. 10. The aerosol generating device or user interface device of claim 9, wherein said validity period is 5 minutes or less. A user interface device according to any one of claims 2, 4-6 and 8-10, wherein said user interface device comprises a mobile phone. 12. The user interface device according to any one of claims 2, 4-6 and 8-11, wherein said user interface device comprises a display device comprising a graphical user interface on which a user can attempt to unlock said unlockable feature. user interface device. the controller
causing an unlockable feature graphical area to be displayed on the graphical user interface;
13. The user interface device of claim 12, further configured for a user to select the unlockable feature graphical region to activate the aerosol generating device and send the unlock request to it. The server of any one of claims 3-5, wherein the controller is further configured to limit the number of unlock grants sent to the aerosol generator.

Images